By; FUNMI ADERINTO, Kaduna
The Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Dr Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe on Monday, encouraged children to be serious in their education, hence it will give them the opportunity to unlock their potentials and enable them to compete anywhere in the world.
As the World commemorates the 2023 Children’s Day tagged, “A Day for Children, by Children”, Dr. Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe commemorated the day with some children in Government House in Kaduna.
The children were led into the Council Chambers of Sir Kashim Ibrahim House by the Commissioner of Human Services and Social Development, Hajiya Rabi Salisu along with senior officials of the ministry and the representative of the UNICEF Kaduna Field Office, Joy Eli.
She said, “today’s experience will forever live in their memory”.
The Deputy Governor, specially welcomed the children to Government House, she congratulated the children for the opportunity that they have to celebrate 2O23 world children’s day.
According to her, “it is not every child that has the opportunity, we thank God, she prayed and hope that we will have another opportunity to celebrate many years.
Dr. Balarabe said, “Kaduna State Government is also in tune with the theme for this year, we are putting everything within our power and within our mince to ensure that we have conducive climate for children.
“We want a situation that we can protect their right and provide them with all the social amenities or social services that they need.
“Today is a very special day, it is a reminder that we have a job ahead of us, it is not just the government, everyone of us even you the children, have a role to play in ensuring that we protect our environment.
“I hope and pray that going forward that you can all do that, find a project that you can do, that will ensure that we need to get the effect of climate change.
“A lot of people need to know about what it means for climate change, I am not sure that we have much information out there, I want you to take that up as an ambassador and motivate people to pay more attentions to their environment”.
She also reiterated the commitment of Kaduna State Government under the leadership of Senator Uba Sani to protecting the rights of children in the state.
Adding that, under the new administration, 12 years of free primary and secondary education as well as free immunization from preventable diseases for all children is guaranteed.
“Kaduna State Government is working assiduously to ensure that children have twelve years of free education and for me education gives you that opportunity to unlock your potentials”. She said.
She encouraged the children to use the opportunities they have to encourage those ones that are not in school to come in so that we can all have this education that will give us an opportunity to compete in this world that we are now.
“You know, now without education you can not really do much.
“I encouraged you to encouraged others to come in, go to school get education, unlock your potentials so that we also in Kaduna state can boast of children that can compete in this globalised world.
“We also ensure that our children are protected from preventable diseases that is why we have an immunization programe that is free, although they are quite a lot of children that are not yet immunized.
“We are hoping and praying that children like you will take up that responsibility of ensuring that others children coming behind you are immunised.
“There’s this programme that we used to have, working with UNICEF that is called Child Adoption Strategies, you can adopt a child whether in your house or your neighbours house that is within eligible age for immunization and make sure that whenever there is any campaign, that child is immunized. She explained.
She gave them an assignment that, “you should adopt a child that is close to you whether your brother, your sister or your neighbours children so that all Kaduna state children are protected from vaccine preventable diseases.
“I thank you for coming and I hope that we will forever remember and cherish this day, and that the theme for each year will be embrace in our consciousness”.
“It is not just to come and sit down celebrate and talk but we need to back up whatever it is that we say with action”.
“Thank you as you do much more to protect our climate and to make our children strong with fulfilling their full potentials”.
